Four suspects arrested in Canton drug raid

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State Police arrested four men and seized as much as 70 pounds of marijuana and $110,000 in possible drug proceeds following a four-month investigation in Eastern Massachusetts, the Norfolk district ­attorney said Wednesday.

William H. Newman, 32, of Canton, was arrested and charged with trafficking in marijuana and conspiracy to violate the drug law, District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey said. Newman pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Stoughton District Court, according to David Traub, a spokesman for the the district attorney.

Scott Martin, the lawyer representing Newman, could not be reached for comment.

Also charged were Jose ­Marquez, 31, of North Hollywood, Calif.; Joseph Shelzi of Pelham, N.H.; and Colin ­Beauregard, 26, of Lowell, Traub said. The three men pleaded not guilty to charges of possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy to violate the drug law, Traub said.

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Beauregard was also charged with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Detectives from the State ­Police and Canton and Stoughton police forces, working in the Norfolk Drug Task Force, had watched the defendants from 10 a.m. Wednesday until they believed a large transfer of drugs and money had taken place, Morrissey said.

Beauregard and Shelzi were seen walking into Newman’s apartment on Walpole Street in Canton with a bag believed to be filled with cash, Traub said. When they walked out, the men were carrying two black duffel bags containing large quantities of drugs, he said.

“Initial seizures of drugs and cash at roughly 1 p.m. led to the issuance of a search warrant for the lead defendant’s apartment, where additional material ­believed to be drugs and thousands of dollars in additional US currency was seized,” ­Morrissey said.

Newman, Marquez, and Beauregard are being held at the Norfolk County Jail, said David Weber, a spokesman from the Norfolk sheriff’s office.

“State Police in our office, under the supervision of Sergeant Charles Kane, have been working closely with the Stoughton and Canton police departments in conducting surveillance and other investigation,” said Morrissey. “This inves­tigation involved excellent professional cooperation and resulted in the disruption of what these charges allege to be a substantial trafficking operation.”

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